Meatworks jobs threatened in South Waikato

HAMILTON - The flag outside Tirau's PPCS meatworks was at half-mast yesterday as its 130 employees were told they could lose their jobs.

At meetings on Thursday, PPCS said it would decide next Friday if its Tirau plant would close, after talking with employees about the plant's problems.

Many workers left the meeting feeling the plant -- Tirau's biggest employer -- would definitely close.

"I'm not very happy about it," said worker Bob Nicholas. "I've only been there three months."

Derick Blank, who has been working at the Tirau meatworks for 10 years, said he would not go back to the meat industry if made redundant.

He had started at Tirau after being made redundant from Weddel's Cambridge meatworks in 1994.

"The plant had been going backwards for the last couple of years. The buildings weren't being maintained, some boards had rotted away and not been replaced. I was hoping to stay here until my retirement," he said.

PPCS chief operating officer Keith Cooper said the Tirau plant had relatively high compliance and maintenance costs, compared with other plants. It is also one of the smallest plants in the company.

There was also a problem with effluent disposal at Tirau.

Currently, treated effluent from the plant is spread on nearby farms.

Fonterra will stop accepting milk from cows on effluent-treated land from June next year.

The only effluent treatment system available to PPCS would cost the company $1.5 million.

The plant is currently closed for the season, and was to reopen in the next couple of months.

The Tirau plant processes lamb, mutton and bobby calves.

- nzpa